At first, I didn't think it would be possible for the Atlanta Falcons to move up high enough in the first round to land a big-play receiver.

But now I'm hearing that could happen.

The Falcons have their eye on A.J. Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of Alabama, and it looks like Jones is the one who could be in play.

The Cincinnati Bengals are considered the strong possibility to take Green in the No. 4 spot, which would leave Jones available. The Arizona Cardinals, picking fifth, would like Green but if he's gone they might be willing to move out.

The Falcons could then pair Jones with Roddy White to liven up an offense devoid of big plays last year.

The price will be steep -- probably next year's first-round pick in a package -- but when you are a team that is close , and remember the Falcons had the No. 1 seed in the NFC last season, it could be the move that puts them in the Super Bowl.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has proven in the past that he's willing to make bold moves to help his football team. If he pulls this off, it could be another.

So the NFL Trade Association won't hold a draft event opposite the NFL Draft after all.

Thankfully.

It was a stupid idea anyway.The idea was to keep top draft picks away from the league event, which meant no shaking hands with the commissioner on draft night.

I think some wise-guy agents were behind the movement, but the trade association was said to be considering it.

In the end, cooler heads prevailed. Players will now to go to New York for their dream day, a chance to be on the stage after hearing their name announced The trade association didn't put them in a tough spot.

Now they don't have to worry about offending the rank-and-file of the league. Now they can do what they want. If they want to go, they do it. If not, they don't go.

So the NFL Trade Association won't hold a draft event opposite the NFL Draft after all.

Thankfully.

It was a stupid idea anyway.The idea was to keep top draft picks away from the league event, which meant no shaking hands with the commissioner on draft night.

I think some wise-guy agents were behind the movement, but the trade association was said to be considering it.

In the end, cooler heads prevailed. Players will now to go to New York for their dream day, a chance to be on the stage after hearing their name announced The trade association didn't put them in a tough spot.

Now they don't have to worry about offending the rank-and-file of the league. Now they can do what they want. If they want to go, they do it. If not, they don't go.

So the NFL Trade Association won't hold a draft event opposite the NFL Draft after all.

Thankfully.

It was a stupid idea anyway.The idea was to keep top draft picks away from the league event, which meant no shaking hands with the commissioner on draft night.

I think some wise-guy agents were behind the movement, but the trade association was said to be considering it.

In the end, cooler heads prevailed. Players will now to go to New York for their dream day, a chance to be on the stage after hearing their name announced The trade association didn't put them in a tough spot.

Now they don't have to worry about offending the rank-and-file of the league. Now they can do what they want. If they want to go, they do it. If not, they don't go.

Andrew Luck might be a smart student at Stanford, but when it comes to life decisions he is a fool.

What could possibly make him go back to Stanford? He will be the top pick in the April Draft if he were to come out. But Luck said Thursday he would return to Stanford for his redshirt-junior season.

He wants to get his degree.

Hey, lots of unemployed graduates have degrees that mean nothing now. Just look around. You have a chance to make millions. Why would you risk injury to earn a few more credits toward a degree? You can always go back and get that paper.

College life is fun, but there isn't much more fun than being a millionaire, bachelor quarterback I imagine.

Jake Locker made the decision to go back to Washington for his senior season last year and it probably cost him millions.

There is no degree that can make up that money. OK, so maybe a few. Not many.

Luck has nowhere to go but down. Plus, there could be a rookie wage scale next season.

Way back in October, a high-profile agent insisted to me that Luck would stay in school. I told him was nuts.

We've heard a lot about who might be rising up team's boards. So who could be the fallers?

Here are two: Baylor tackle Jason Smith and USC linebacker Rey Maualuga. Scome scouts think Smith is soft. I watched him play a couple of games on tape and he wasn't as impressive as I expected. He really struggled against UConn.

It wouldn't be a shock to see him drop down as the third tackle behind Andre Smith. As for Maualuga, he has balooned up in weight at times during his career and there are concerns that he will do it again. He also plays a position at inside/middle linebacker that isn't usually drafted at a premium. Ray Lewis was picked 26th in the first round of the 1996 draft.

Maualuga isn't an every-down linebacker, which means you'd be using a first-round pick on a player who would be a two-down player. Is that worth a first-round pick?